Windswept Auburn fire explodes gas tanks

Monday

Apr 8, 2013 at 6:00 AM

The quick response of firefighters out of Station 2 on West Street saved a single-family home on Phoenix Road Sunday night, Fire Lt. Christopher P. Cavan said.

The two-alarm fire started outside 22 Phoenix Road in the grass, and high winds caused it to spread to mopeds in the backyard, causing an explosion from the gas tanks and tires. The fire then spread to a deck under construction and the exterior siding, he said.

Several people called the Fire Department around 5 p.m. about visible fire and explosions, he said.

“The initial call was for an explosion,” he said. “There was a large volume of visible fire and explosions. There was a two-minute response and they had it knocked down in seven to eight minutes. They got there in short order and prevented it from damaging the inside of the home, thanks to the engine company’s timely and appropriate response. Five minutes longer and we would have had full-structural involvement.”

The fire chief prohibited outside burning at 1 p.m. Sunday because of high-wind conditions, he said.

“It was considered a high fire hazard day by the state, and we only allowed burning in the morning,” he said.

However, there was no burn permit issued for 22 Phoenix Road, Lt. Cavan said.

There was an elderly man in the home, but it did not appear that he was outside burning, he said. The cause of the fire appears accidental, he said.